FIFA backs Muamba to play again

Fabrice Muamba could make a return to playing professional football, according to FIFA’s medical chief.

Muamba’s recovery from a cardiac arrest that saw his heart stop beating for 78 minutes has stunned doctors, but it is still uncertain whether he could play again. Jiri Dvorak, FIFA’s medical chief, said the likely underlying cause of Muamba’s heart attack – a condition called arrhythmia – could be controlled and possibly allow him to return to professional football.

He said, “I think this is something which the cardiologist has to decide but if the underlying reason is arrhythmia – which it probably is – then theoretically it’s possible. He has received the internal automatic defibrillator so yes he could return.”

Dvorak highlighted the example of Craig Hulse, an American player who has played more than 100 games since suffering a cardiac arrest three years ago and who came to FIFA’s medical conference in Budapest to speak of his experience.